CAMPBELL CAMPAIGN IN SEARCH OF A SPARK

Feinstein Not Helping, Declines Drug Debate

Hurting in his efforts to grab voter and media attention, U.S. Senate candidate Tom Campbell on Tuesday challenged incumbent Sen. Dianne Feinstein to join him on his first statewide radio program Sunday evening to debate federal drug policy, an issue he's made a major thrust of his campaign.

Feinstein, far ahead in the polls and spending most of her time in Washington while the Senate is in session, swiftly rejected the proposal, promising to debate Campbell after the Senate adjourns.

Speaking to reporters in San Jose on Tuesday, the Republican challenger expressed the frustration of a political underdog who lacks the money to buy his way onto television and can't get the press to pay much attention to the race.

"It's a disservice to the people of California to refuse to engage, whether one's political advisers say so or not," Campbell said, denouncing Feinstein's unwillingness so far to accept any specific debate proposals.

"She can surely find the time to debate on Sunday night, or Saturday. We will accommodate her anytime," Campbell said.

In comments to KCBS-AM on Tuesday, Feinstein responded that "when the Senate is out, there will be time for debates." She criticized Campbell for missing business in the House while the congressman campaigns in California.

Campbell has booked an hour of air time on radio statewide on three upcoming Sunday evenings, including this weekend.

Campbell was in San Jose to deliver the second of four speeches this week on drug issues, criticizing Democrats and Republicans alike for "the failure of America's war on drugs." He is recommending a massive shift of federal spending into rehabilitation and treatment and away from interdiction, stressing that the problem of drugs is one of demand more than supply.

"What I've proposed is a return to this war's original intent -- getting addicts cleaned up, out of danger and back into the mainstream" Campbell told about 100 students in a San Jose State political science class.

He repeated his opposition to the $1.3 billion aid package Congress approved this year for Colombia, which includes military helicopters and advisers as part of an effort to combat drug traffickers.

And, he repeated his proposal to allow local government-run health centers where drug addicts can receive otherwise illegal narcotics as a means of reducing street crime and steering addicts into treatment.

Feinstein has rejected that idea outright. "I don't think you can treat an addict by giving him or her drugs," she said.

That Campbell has chosen to make drugs a focus of his campaign strikes many observers as unusual but understandable given the situation he finds himself in -- 17 points behind Feinstein, according to two independent statewide polls this month.

Earlier in the year, Campbell responded to questions on drug policy but rarely brought it up himself, instead focusing on the differences between his and Feinstein's records on budget matters and foreign policy.

But since July, drug control has joined campaign finance reform as the two issues he features most often. Campbell said he decided to raise the drug issue because of the congressional vote to send military advisers to Colombia.

Campbell's host on Tuesday at San Jose State, political science instructor Ken Yeager, said after the speech that he doubted the drug issue would "resonate"' with voters. He also took issue with Campbell's support of Proposition 36, which mandates rehabilitation over incarceration for non-violent drug offenders.

Yeager, a Democrat running for city council in San Jose, said homeowners don't want to see the number of group homes in their neighborhoods that would be required to take all the drug addicts in treatment programs.